Pink Floyd cover band Brit Floyd brings music to Toledo March 13

Music of David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason and Syd Barrett – or Pink Floyd – will be celebrated at the Huntington Center this week.

Brit Floyd will play at the Huntington Center on March 13. Photo Courtesy David Munn.

Cover band Brit Floyd will be in town on March 13, featuring “note-for-note performances” of songs from Pink Floyd’s biggest albums: “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” “The Wall,” “The Division Bell” and “Animals.”

This is the first time since last summer this European band is returning in the States.

“I think if there’s one place for a band to tour properly, it’s the United States,” vocalist, guitarist and musical director Damian Darlington said. “It’s always very special, a lot of fun and very easy to tour in the U.S. compared perhaps to some other places in the world.”

Since their first show in Liverpool, England, in 2011, Brit Floyd has traveled the world and played for more than one million fans.

“It’s been very special,” Darlington said. “It’s remarkable how quickly Brit Floyd has managed to establish itself. … It’s been a lot of fun and a very special experience.”

Darlington spent 17 years playing with another Pink Floyd tribute show, so is experienced.

“I was hoping and expecting Brit Floyd would take off in the way it did,” Darlington said. “As a musician, I like playing in front of audiences and getting a chance to play onstage with other good musicians … I’m happy to do this for as long as people want to hear Pink Floyd music.”

Photo Courtesy David Munn.

This show, titled “Discovery,” named after Pink Floyd’s recent box set of the same name, is a three-hour spectacle that chronologically explores Pink Floyd’s catalog, spanning beyond three decades. “Discovery” promises live renditions of the biggest hits and the lesser known gems.

Darlington had the task of forming the setlist, which he based off the recent box set. At least one track from every Pink Floyd album will be played during the show.

“I thought it a cool idea to kind of represent that in some way,” he said. “We’re going back to the very beginning.”

In true Pink Floyd fashion, the show will also feature circle lights and original video with animation inspired by the artwork of Pink Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson. Darlington said attention to detail went into the work.

“Given that what Pink Floyd is principally about is touring and we do so much of it … it’s a constantly evolving process,” Darlington said. “We can’t plan it for many months because for many months we’re out on tour.”

Darlington fell in love with music when he received a guitar for Christmas when he was 11 years old. He discovered Pink Floyd when he was 13 years old and heard “The Wall.”

“I’ve been hooked on them ever since,” he said.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are on sale now through Ticketmaster, the Huntington Center Box Office or by calling (800) 745-3000. For more information, visit britfloyd.com or huntintoncentertoledo.com.

Arts and Events: Oktoberfest benefits firefighters

Oktoberfest ’10 will close the block of Huron Street between it sponsors, The Blarney Irish Pub and PizzaPapalis. The festival runs from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Oct. 1 and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Oct. 2 with a $5 admission after 7 p.m. Proceeds will benefit Sylvania Firefighters and Toledo Firefighters Local 92.

Live entertainment Oct. 1 features Jeff Stewart 7 to 9 p.m., followed by the Naked Karate Girls. Dave Pfenning will open for the Naked Karate Girls Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. Former Miss Oklahoma and new Face of FOX Toledo Heather Cook will appear at the event. Oct. 2 will start a free afternoon of activities for families from 4 to 6 p.m. to kick off fire prevention safety week. Sparky the Fire Dog and Walleye team mascots will be in attendance, as well as several local firefighters and the fire safety house. Surprises, giveaways, and the chance to win opening day tickets to the Walleye game will be offered.

Toledo musicians to tour Europe

Amsterdam. Paris. Bordeaux. Nice. Barcelona. Toledo artists and musicians Kyle White, 35, and Jeff Stewart, 41, jet Oct. 3 for a two-week tour of Europe. Along with Sean Lapan and Rob Nolan, the adventures of the four acoustic guitarists will be on video, documented by Stacy Smith.

“It’s exciting to show my friends around all the places that I love, especially Barcelona,” White said. “I like to be submerged in the culture.”

White, who has traveled extensively in Europe, is leading the group to The Last Water Hole in Amsterdam for their first performance Oct. 4. On a previous trip, White said she was able to perform there in an open jam session.

“I ended up playing three nights in a row, but every night they have a different band that hosts the jams, so I played with different musicians every night. The owner was really cool and said, ‘Anytime you come back to Amsterdam, you have a gig here’,” White said.

The group of singers and songwriters are planning to play in cafés, Paris Metro stops and wherever the mood strikes them. Stewart, who is also an avid painter, has been heavily influenced by the French Impressionists and is looking forward to painting in the European landscape.

“I’m going to put myself in those shoes and see what I come up with,” Stewart said. “You get recharged and you get plugged in. Whenever I take a trip somewhere it lights the fire under me. It’s a work thing, a vacation thing … I want to go right now!”

White and Stewart are self-sustaining artists, and are looking to release their own records by the end of the year. White is looking forward to writing new songs on the trip. The group will return to Toledo Oct. 14.

“We’ll have stories for you when we get back,” Stewart said.

2010 Walk to Defeat ALS

The 2010 Walk to Defeat ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) will be held noon Oct. 3 at Flower Hospital on Harroun Rd. in Sylvania. In 2009 the event raised $38,000 with 800 walkers for programs and services for people suffering from the disease in Northwest Ohio.

The mile-long walking path is paved and open to wheelchairs, strollers and pets. This is the seventh year for the fundraising event in Toledo. The event chair, Ruth Moeller, has a team dedicated to walking in the memory of their friend, father, husband and sailor, Paul Moeller. To register, visit www.walktodefeatals.org (Toledo Walk).

Toledo Symphony League recognizes volunteers

The Toledo Symphony League opened its season Sept. 16 with a luncheon. Four women were awarded for their service to the league with Crescendo pins: Beth Bowman of Maumee, Jettie Sansbury of Sylvania, Darlene Carpenter of Maumee and Helen Relation of Sylvania. Chloe Schmitz, one of the League’s scholarship recipients, provided harp entertainment.

Ohioana Library Association names 2010 Ohioana Award winners

Joel Lipman, Lucas County poet laureate and library poet-in-residence, was among 16 recipients of the 2010 Ohioana Awards announced by the Ohioana Library Association. The awards acknowledged those who significantly contributed to the literary, artistic and musical life in Ohio and the U.S. Lipman received the 2010 Pegasus Award, which honors a native or non-native Ohioan for outstanding cultural achievements. Other award recipients of note include Rita Dove, Jorma Kaukonen, and Timothy and James Keny. The Ohioana Awards will be presented at an awards luncheon Oct. 16 in Columbus.

The public is invited to register for the $50 luncheon and a $25 informal gathering Oct. 15, when a reception will be held for the award recipients. The Ohio Arts Council supports the 2010 Ohioana Awards with state tax dollars. For more information about the Ohioana Awards or to make reservations for the Oct. 15 reception or the Oct. 16 luncheon, call (614) 466-3831 or email ohioana@ohioana.org.

Skillet to perform with Papa Roach

The “Monsters of Annihilation Tour” co-headlined by Skillet and Papa Roach will play John F. Savage Hall Oct. 13. The Grammy-nominated group Skillet’s newest album, “Awake,” made a blockbuster debut on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 charts at No. 2 in August 2009 and was recently certified gold by the RIAA. Skillet, who has recently toured with Creed and Shinedown, has cumulative album sales approaching two million. Songs like “The Last Night” and “The Older I Get” garnered Skillet two BMI Music Awards.

Pink Floyd tribute at Cla-Zel

Pink Floyd fans longing to hear the transcendent guitar solo in “Comfortably Numb” in the flesh need not fork over a not-so-small fortune to hear Roger Waters bring his “The Wall Live” show to Detroit in several weeks.

Five dollars and a trek down to Bowling Green this weekend will also do the trick.

The regional Pink Floyd tribute band, Dark Side of the Moon, will perform at the Cla-Zel Theater 8 p.m. Saturday.

The performance comes several weeks prior to Waters’ Oct. 24 show at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which is on his tour to mark the 30th anniversary of the Pink Floyd classic double album, “The Wall.” Available tickets for the show range in price from $149 for nosebleeds to $750 for floor seats.

Dark Side of the Moon is a northeast Ohio-based band that tours regularly throughout the region. The band’s setlist spans Pink Floyd’s output, including gems from 1994′s “The Division Bell” through 1970′s “Atom Heart Mother.” Considerable emphasis is placed on the band’s most acclaimed works, “The Wall” and “Dark Side of the Moon.”

No, David Gilmour won’t be making a Bowling Green appearance to play one of the most epic solos in rock and roll for you. But he won’t be alongside Mr. Waters at the more extravagant affair either (Waters is the only Pink Floyd member at the shows).

Doors for the Bowling Green show open at 7 p.m. The Cla-Zel Theater is located at 127 N. Main St. (419) 353-5000. Tickets are $5.

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